David Magán (b. 1979, Madrid, Spain) is a contemporary sculptor and installation artist whose work explores the interplay between light, colour, and space, exploring themes of perception and materiality. Trained in wood and metal sculpture at La Palma School of Art, Madrid, Spain (1999–2004), Magán honed his skills in creative stained glass, which became an initial key element of his practice. Currently, Magán divides his time between Guadalajara and Madrid (Spain), directing the David Magán Studio with his brother Kiko Magán, an engineer whose collaboration has been pivotal in accomplishing their shared vision.
Initially, Magán’s career focused on stained glass, though using geometry and mathematics he reimagined flat surfaces to create three-dimensional sculptural compositions. Themes such as harmony, translucence, and the interaction between light, colour, and shadow permeated his early work. By integrating steel cables and spatial lattices, he freed glass from its traditional frames, achieving a sense of lightness and complexity derived from simplicity. These explorations laid the groundwork for later iconic concepts, such as modular structures and the use of tensegrity.
Between 2010 and 2013, Magán expanded his artistic horizons by inquiring into photography, drawing, video, digital tools, and virtual sculptures. Living in London for two years, he explored “media permeability,” blending physical and digital elements to capture and manipulate light in innovative ways. This period also marked the beginning of his collaboration with Kiko Magán, whose technical expertise enabled new creative possibilities. Key themes included infinity structures, modularity, and colour interaction, which were exemplified in projects like “Fragment of Light” (2012, Cayón Gallery, Madrid, Spain) and “Domesticated Transparency” (2013, MAVA, Alcorcón, Spain). This period also saw a significant move into the international sphere. His work travelled to Germany, Denmark, the UK and Korea, where David’s large-scale installation/relief “Cubic Composition” (2013) was exhibited at the Seongnam Cube Art Museum (2013, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea).
Magán’s practice evolved to emphasize the relationship between artwork, space, and spectator. Using industrial processes and digital design tools, he created works that fuse with their architectural surroundings. Digital tools, now consistently used at the studio, enabled designs with highly accurate renderings of specific light source projections, leading to deeper research of light’s idiosyncrasies. Groups of pivotal works emerged at this time, including “Installations”, “Assembly”, “Binaries” and “Isometric”, which explored modularity and the universality of colour and light. Solo exhibitions including “Primary Cube” (2016, Cayón Gallery, Madrid Spain), “Primary Interferences” (2016, CEART, Fuenlabrada, Spain) and “The Weight of Colour” (2017, Cayón Gallery, Madrid, Spain), highlight his commitment to merging art and architecture.
Themes of precision, projection, and materiality have been central to his exploration of art’s capacity to transcend the object and become an environment. David manifested these ideas in exhibitions such as “Constructive Art, Kinetic Art” Espace Expression (2014, Miami, USA), “Colours”, Hempel Glasmuseum (2015, Hempel, Denmark) and “Transparency” Denise René Gallery (2016, Paris, France), amongst others.
Between 2018 and 2022, Magán worked on immersive and interactive installations putting the spectator at the centre of the experience. Research into polyhedra, architecture and RGB light projections led to structures that invite physical and emotional engagement, making the works dynamic and participatory. His iconic exhibitions, such as “Matter Matters” (2020, CAB, Burgos, Spain), “Immaterial Architectures” (2021, Museo Francisco Sobrino, Guadalajara, Spain), “In Praise of Shadows” (2022, As Quintas, Asturias, Spain) and his outdoor project for the “13th Havana Biennale” (2019, Habana, Cuba) highlighted the temporality and subjectivity of light and colour in transforming space. Playfulness and immersion became characteristic of this period, reinforcing Magán’s commitment to creating art where the individual is invited to reflect and wonder.
The David Magán Studio has successively had an increasing role in David’s output and its management, as well as actively promoting his work through publications, events and communication with David’s growing collector/follower base and the general public.
Currently, Magán investigates the philosophical and scientific dimensions of light, exploring themes of mystery, natural structures, and the ethereal. This latest phase reflects his continued interest in fusing the pictorial and sculptural, representing light through pigment and vice versa. Recent solo exhibitions, such as “Twenty-twenty Vision” (2023, Parra & Romero, Madrid, Spain) and “Multilayered” (2024, Galerie Denise René, Paris, France), embody this synthesis of art, science, and perception. Group exhibitions such as “Chromatic” (2023, Dados Negros, Ciudad Real, Spain) and “Lo tienes que ver” (2025, Fundación Juan March, Madrid, Spain) further illustrate his evolution as an artist deeply attuned to the mysteries of the natural world.
David Magán’s works have been showcased in prestigious art fairs, including ARCOmadrid (Madrid, Spain), Art Cologne (Cologne, Germany), Pinta Miami (Miami, USA), Art Toronto (Toronto, Canada), ArtLima (Lima, Peru), and Zona MACO (Mexico City, Mexico), and are held in major collections such as Museum Ritter (Waldenbuch, Germany), Centro de Arte Tomás y Valiente (Fuenlabrada, Spain), Museum of Contemporary of Madrid (Madrid, Spain), Fundación Centro Nacional del Vidrio (Segovia, Spain) and the Murano Glass Museum (Venice, Italy). David’s creative prowess continues to challenge the perception of light and colour, seeking to transcend the boundaries of the material and immaterial worlds, through practices based on observation, research, precision and imagination.